Car Trouble in SS4 of the 2025 Semarang Sprint Rally Championship Round, Putra: Anything Can Happen
Putra and Didot once again relied on their Toyota Corolla DX in Round 3 of the 2025 National Sprint Rally Championship at POJ City Circuit, Semarang, Central Java.
AUTORIDE.CO.ID – IgnitionB MasEsolo Racing Team fielded Subhana Maha Putra as the driver and Stephanus Didot as the navigator for Round 3 of the 2025 National Sprint Rally Championship at POJ City Circuit, Semarang, Central Java, last weekend, May 31 – June 1.
Although they couldn’t deliver a podium finish for the team, Putra and Didot’s performance deserves appreciation. In SS1, the rally driver from Bali secured 3rd place with a time of 4 minutes 54.2 seconds. Their performance improved dramatically in SS2 with a recorded time of 4 minutes 47.1 seconds.
Their performance peaked in SS3, recording an even better time of 4 minutes 40.3 seconds. This became the fastest time in the R1 Class and placed them 70th overall out of 136 drivers across various race classes.
Unfortunately, in SS4 Putra and Didot experienced mechanical issues, preventing them from finishing the race.
“Technical issues are part of the sport. But as much as possible, we have to stay safe. The car I used — in SS1 we had just repaired the power steering. So the steering was back to normal, felt great, it really suited the track,” said Putra.
“In SS2 we tried to improve our time. The track was more damaged due to wear from Group J and Group M cars. There were quite a few incidents too. We managed to do better in SS2, but then the motor or hydraulic power steering dynamo had issues.”
“We fixed it overnight and in the morning for SS3 we gave it our all. We succeeded and became the fastest in SS3. But in SS4, well, God had other plans. The drivetrain came off — but that’s sprint rally for you. You have to be ready for anything. It’s 99% effort and 1% the forces of nature,” he explained to Autoride.
As for the track itself, Putra found the POJ City Circuit in Semarang quite challenging. “The circuit is very demanding, very tricky. The event was well organized. Overall, it was great — the venue was well-arranged, and the track itself was proper. Many of the competitors went all-out because they’ve been holding back on gravel tracks. This time, they gave it their all.”
“Everything was great, the weather was great too. There were 136 participants in total. Hats off to the organizers and to all the teams. You can memorize corners, but the terrain and hidden traps — now those are hard to anticipate,” Putra concluded. (Maston/Photo: Doc. Putra)
